Fleets need to be aware that service, maintenance and repair (SMR) is becoming increasingly complex as new manufacturers enter the UK market, according to i247 Group.

i247 Group says infrastructure problems are leading to SMR delays and increased fleet vehicle offroad time across EV models

The outsourced fleet management provider, responsible for maintaining over a million UK vehicles, has flagged SMR challenges caused by some of these new manufacturer entrants, which it says are yet to develop their fleet aftersales processes.

With often limited aftersales garage networks able to accommodate fleet maintenance requirements, this in turn leads to challenges handling maintenance and warranty work, causing significant complexity for fleets and the end user.

Such “insufficient infrastructure” is further complicated by the fact that some new car makers, and the aftersales maintenance solutions they have in place, are not always accessible on fleet industry authorisation platforms.

These platforms, such as 1link, are critical for coordinating SMR activity for maintained vehicles. The knock-on effect for fleets is that, without the ability to authorise maintenance and payments, processes become manual and therefore slower.

i247 Group has reported that such problems are leading to SMR delays and increased fleet vehicle offroad time across EV models.

Other newcomers to the fleet space bring their own challenges, specifically around SMR bookings, where fleets must utilise the manufacturer app to schedule appointments as opposed to calling fleet maintenance helplines. The result means some fleet users receive a very different maintenance experience, depending on the brand of vehicle they drive.

i247 Group says it’s vital that the current SMR infrastructure problems are considered by new manufacturers to avoid further impacts to fleets – and warned that the challenges will be exacerbated as more new vehicles join the UK roads and additional brands enter the market.

Steve Thornton, commercial director, commented: “We want to make fleets aware of the range of SMR issues we are seeing. Businesses that are adding new vehicle brands to their fleet need to be aware that the SMR aspect is growing in complexity. The lack of fleet readiness from some new manufacturers means there is more potential for vehicle off road time, so it is critical that companies consider these challenges pro-actively.”